Description

This book includes images of terminals, equipment, the workers and the crew who made the system function. In addition, it includes images of some fellow travelers and the personal stories of the crew and the travelers.

The pilots and flight attendants were professionals who were the face of the industry to the travelling public. They each had a story, and many shared those stories in this book.

In addition to the pilots and the flight attendants there was an army of essential workers who made the system work, but were almost invisible to many travelers.

Airplanes themselves were changing at a rapid rate during this time. The older planes were basically flown manually by highly skilled pilots. The newer ones contained avionics and were, to a much greater degree, computer controlled.

Fellow travelers were fascinating. Many shared personal information about themselves with a total stranger. These unsubstantiated vignettes are sometimes humorous, sometimes sad, personal trials and sometimes dreams of passengers sitting next to them. Personal details were often volunteered to perfect strangers sitting next to them in an airplane.

While we rush headlong into the future, a nostalgic look into where we were three decades ago can be a rest.